What Plastic Containers Should We Get Rid Of?

Are we slowly poisoning ourselves and our family by reusing plastic bottles and containers? According to recent health publications plastic containers including, baby bottles, toddler sippy cups, water bottles and other food and beverage container are leaching Bisphenol A (BPA), a compound in hard, clear polycarbonate plastics. BPA has raised concerns because it appears to mimic the effects of estrogen, interfering with hormone levels and cell signaling systems. Previous studies have shown that people exposed to high levels of BPA have a greater risk of developing uterine fibroids, breast cancer, decreased sperm counts, and prostate cancer. Babies and children are thought to be at greatest risk from the exposure. In fact, the scientific evidence warrants “a higher level of concern than those expressed by the expert [scientific] panel for possible effects of bisphenol A on prostate gland, mammary gland and early onset of puberty in exposed fetuses, infants and children,” the NTP report concludes. Even more alarming is that heating plastics that have BPA can release BPA 55 times faster than normal.

BPA is chemical used in the production of polycarbonate plastic and several types of resins. It is found in products used everyday such as compact discs, DVDs, baby bottles and other food and drink packaging. It is also commonly found in cars, sports safety equipment and water pipes.

Alternatives to polycarbonate include polyethylene and polypropylene plastics, as well as glass. Both alternative plastics are usually identifiable by recycling code, a number that should appear inside a triangular symbol on each plastic container. The number 2 marks polyethylene and the number 5, polypropylene. Polycarbonate doesn’t have a unique recycling code, but it tends to be assigned the code 7, a category for miscellaneous plastics. Various online resources—for examples, see here and here—list products said to be bisphenol A free.

What plastic containers should you get rid of?

· All polycarbonate

· Check the triangle: If you still want to go with plastic then choose the safest kind. Check the bottom of the bottle for a triangle with a number in the middle. This tells you what type of plastic used to make the bottle. Quick reference: 2,4,5 = safe, 1,3,6,7 = unsafe.

Alternatives to polycarbonate plastics

· Switch to glass bottles or those with disposable plastic liners that don’t contain BPA.

· Use microwave-safe paper plates

· Glass dishes covered with a paper towel rather than plastic wrap.

· Eden Foods, a Clinton, Mich.-based natural-foods company, sells beans and tomato products in bisphenol A-free cans.

· Some manufacturers, like BornFree, have begun to offer plastic bottles and training cups that are BPA free.

Go with stainless steel
Save money and reduce your carbon footprint: buy a water filer for home use and fill up your stainless steel bottle, which won’t leak any chemicals. Some tried and true companies include:

Sigg: The original stainless steel bottles can be found at many online sporting goods stores as well as amazon.com.

Klean Kanteen: Although manufactured in China, the company guarantees their product is safe and created in a factory with fair working conditions.

New Wave Enviro Products: Founded in 1993, this company offers several styles of stainless steel bottles.

As safe as plastic can be
Certain numbers are safer than others:

· #2 HDP or HPDE (high-density polyethylene): This high density plastic is the most resistant to chemical leaching. Most commonly found in milk jugs, detergent and shampoo bottles. Easy to spot because it will be semitransparent or a solid white color. It’s never clear.

· #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene): Although resistant to leaching, it’s almost never used in water bottles but is found in sandwich bags, cling wrap and grocery bags.

· #5 PP (polypropylene): This semi-transparent or white plastic is also resistant to chemical leaching. More used in syrup bottles and yogurt containers.

Avoid whenever possible
Try your best to turn your back on these plastics:

· #1 PET/PETE (polyethylene terephthalate): Made for one time use, these bottles should be avoided since they more than likely leach the heavy metal antimony and the hormone disrupting chemical BPA. Don’t reuse these bottles and don’t purchase if they are over six months old.

· #3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride): Known to leach two toxic chemicals, DEHP (di-2-ehtylhexyl phthalate) and bispehonal-A that are both known endocrine and hormone disruptors, this is the most common plastic used in water bottles, baby bottles and cooking oil.

· #6 PS (polystyrene): Known to leach styrene, a carcinogen that causes headaches, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, this plastic is most commonly used in disposable coffee cups and take out containers.

· PC/PLA: Polycarbonate: Since this plastic is made with BPA, it’s going to leach and is probably the worst plastic to use. Unfortunately it’s found in baby bottles, reusable water bottles, 5-gallon jugs (used for the office water cooler) and food-storage containers.

Tips for bottled water

· If your water smells like plastic, even just a hint, don’t drink it. Dump it or return it.

· Keep your bottled water away from heat or sunlight. Hot plastic leaches chemicals more easily.

· Don’t buy water that has been on the shelf longer than six months. Ask the store how long it’s been on the shelf. Dust is usually not a good sign.

· Don’t reuse bottles made for single use. They are breeding grounds for bacteria and will also start to break down quickly, easily releasing chemicals

· Go with stainless steel or glass whenever possible.

· Buy in bulk and stay away from the individual bottles.

· Drink tap water. Buy a home water filter and start carrying tap in your stainless steel bottle. Save money and the planet.

More information

View the full study at babystoxicbottle.org.

Study of Chemical in Plastic Bottles Raises Alarm

BPA and plastic containers for more tips on minimizing your and your family’s exposure to BPA

Report Shows Dangerous Chemical Can Leach From Baby Bottles

“This is quite concerning. All 19 polycarbonate bottles [investigated in the study] leached BPA when heated. This is clearly showing that BPA is certainly leaching from popular and common consumer products,” Judith Robinson, special projects director with the Environmental Health Fund, said at a Thursday teleconference.

The new report tested six major brands of plastic baby bottles available at major retailers, including Wal-Mart and Babies-R-Us, in the United States and Canada. According to the study, 95 percent of baby bottles on the market contain BPA.

The brands tested — which included Avent, Disney/The First Years, Dr. Brown’s, Evenflo, Gerber and Playtex — all leached BPA when heated. According to the study authors, these same levels of BPA caused a range of adverse effects in laboratory animals.

Among U.S. bottles, Dr. Brown’s brand had the highest level of leaching while Avent brand bottles had the lowest levels, the report said.”

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Say Goodbye to My Little Friend

Recently I had to get a spot on my boob and stomach biopsied which included a fair amount of stitches. According to my doctors it is not uncommon for pregnant women to have growths show up during pregnancy. Even scarier is that melanomas are extremely aggressive with pregnancies so it’s really important to get them taken care of as soon as you find any skin abnormalities.

Turns out the spot on my breast are “abnormal” which means it’s a good thing I had it removed. Even better news is that they cut enough “good” tissue to ensure that they got it all. I will just have a Frankenstein scar on my boob…which just adds to the sexiness of my overall physic. I don’t know how my husband resists me.

For more information on skin cancer please check out: http://www.skincancer.org/

What you need to know about moles? http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/moles-and-dysplastic-nevi/page8

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